You’re lying awake in the middle of the night, staring at the ceiling, and thinking about your job, bills, or the kids. When sleep won’t come, it’s tempting to seek respite from a sleeping pill or sleep aid. And you might be able to obtain it right now. However, if you have problems sleeping regularly, it’s a sign that something is amiss. It could be as simple as consuming too much caffeine or staying up late watching TV, your phone, or other screens.
Types of Sleep Aid Tablets
- Antidepressants: Some antidepressants, such as trazodone (Desyrel), are particularly effective at managing insomnia and anxiety.
- Benzodiazepines: When you need an insomnia medicine that stays in your system longer, try temazepam (Restoril), triazolam (Halcion), and other older sleeping medications. For example, they are useful in treating sleep disorders including sleepwalking and night terrors. These have many major drawbacks. They have the potential to cause addiction and dependence. When you stop taking them, you may experience physical withdrawal, which is something that can happen with benzos. There is also a black box warning against mixing them with opioids because they both slow breathing and raise the risk of overdosing.
- Doxepin (Silenor): This sleep aid medication is recommended for people who have problems sleeping. Silenor blocks histamine receptors, which may help with sleep maintenance. If you can’t get a complete 7 or 8 hours of sleep, don’t use this medication.
- Eszopiclone (Lunesta): Lunesta also aids in falling asleep rapidly, with research indicating that people sleep for 7 to 8 hours on average. Lunesta should only be used if you can get a full night’s sleep because it can cause grogginess. The FDA recommends that the beginning dose of Lunesta be no more than 1 mg due to the possibility of impairment the next day.
- Ramelteon (Rozerem): This sleep aid differs from the others in that it has a different mechanism of action. It operates by focusing on the sleep-wake cycle rather than lowering the neurological system. It is given to people who have difficulty falling asleep. Rozerem is a medicine that can be prescribed for long-term usage and has shown no signs of abuse or dependency.
- Suvorexant (Belsomra): It works by inhibiting a hormone that causes insomnia and promotes wakefulness. It has been licenced by the FDA to treat insomnia in patients who are unable to fall or remain asleep. The medication may make you tired the next day.
- Zaleplon (Sonata): Sonata has the shortest duration of action in the body of all the modern sleeping medications. As a result, you can try to sleep on your own. You can then take it without feeling drowsy in the morning if you’re still staring at the clock at 2 a.m. However, if you frequently get up during the night, this may not be the ideal option for you.
Tips for safer use of sleeping pills
Keep the following safety precautions in mind if you decide to take sleep aids.
- Take a sleeping tablet only if you know you’ll be able to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep. You might feel drowsy the next day if you don’t.
- Don’t take a second dose in the middle of the night if you’ve already taken one. Doubling your dose can be harmful, and with less time for the sleep aid to leave your system, getting up the next morning and shaking off grogginess might be difficult.
- Begin with the smallest dose indicated. Examine how this affects you and what kinds of adverse effects you have.
